Locomotive tender



Oct. 15, 1935.

E. A. TURNER LOCOMOTIVE TENDER Filed. Jan. 18, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR.

Oct. 15, 1935. E. A. TURNER LOCOMOTIVE TENDER Filed Jan. 18, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES OFFICE LOCOMOTIVE TENDER Application January 18, 1933, Serial No. 652,268

Claims.

By this invention I seek to simplify and more cheaply construct and. maintain tenders of the type equipped with the trough unit of .a stoking device. In carrying out the invention, it is an "4% object thereof to provide a novel tender of the class described wherein the feed screw of the stoker advances the fuel (coal) in and through a trough formed by a sheet which is slidably mounted in a seat provided in the tender from 10 which seat the trough sheet can be readily slid into or out of place.

Another object of my'invention is the provision of a trough slide plate having one or more de pending ribs on its under side serving as fuel sweepers.

More specific objects and advantages of my invention reside in the individual parts comprising that part of the stoking device mounted on the tender and in their relation with the fuel and water compartments of the tender as hereinafter fully described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal section of the forward portion of the improved locomotivetender of this invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1:

Figure 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of the forward end of the locomotive tender;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3'; and

Figure 5 illustrates a modification of the front cover of the support member construction provided with integral crusher prongs.

On the drawings, the tender is indicated as a whole at A. It includes the hollow underfra-me I ll above which is disposed the body portion comprising the fuel compartment F and the water compartment The fuel compartment is divided into the fuel bunker II and the trough l2 by slide plates l3 shifta-ble to control the passage of fuel from the bunker into the trough which is formed by the trough sheet I l, the rear end wall I5 of the support member casting l6 and the removable front cover l'l. Partition plates l8, ill, at their lower marginal edges are secured by welding or any other suitable water tight fastening means to the longitudinally extending upper end portions of the imperforate trough 5o shaped sidewalls 2G and 2| of the support member l6 and the rear partition plate 22 is similarly secured to the upper end portion of the transversely disposed rear end wall l5 of the support member which wall I5 is apertured to receive the bearing 23 of the gear .box 24. The

latter is mounted on the rear wall l5 within the compartment 25 which opens only through the underframe ID to afford access to the gears 26 .and 27 of the gear box and to the drive shaft 28 I which extends from the gear 21 forwardly 3 through the tunnel-like drive shaft compartment 29 to a point without the water compartment of the forward end of the tender.

It will be understood that the integral depend- I ing brackets B of the support member [6 rest on 30 the underframe l0 and support the fuel bunker ll therefrom. The support member casting is arranged with the aforesaid partition plates to separate the fuel compartment from the water compartment and the walls enclosing the compartments 25 and 29 likewise separatethe same from the water compartment substantially as illustrated and described in my United States Letters Patent No. 1,886,765, granted November 8, 1932.

A screw conveyor 30 suitably driven from the 20 gear 26 is disposed in the trough 12 "for advancing the fuel along the trough sheet I 4 to and through the spherical ball member 3| formed integral with the removable front trough cover H. The crusher 32 bolted as at '33 against the rearward 25 side of the cover I1 over and above the screw 30 cooperates with the screw to break down the lump fuel to a suitable size for firing. Hence, the abrasive and the corrosive action of the fuel as well as certain of the strains incident to crush- 30 ing the fuel are taken by the trough sheet M which is made readily removable for replacement purposes as will now be described and which constructionis the essence of my present inven-- tion. 35

The trough sheet is V-shaped in cross section with a rounded bottom and is provided with laterally projecting longitudinally extending flanges 34, 35. The flanges are positioned in a horizontal plane and are slidably received in the correspondingly disposed seat 36 in each sidewall of the support member I 6. Undue lateral movement of the trough sheet is prevented by snugly fitting the flanges 34, 35 in the groove 36a of the seats 36. The inwardly projecting and longitudinally ex- 45 tending ledges 31 which form the grooves 3611 with the horizontal walls 38 of the seats 36 prevent undue vertical movement of the trough sheet. The upper side of the ledges 31 constitute oppositely disposed seats 39 for slidably receiving 50 the slide plates I3, the side marginal edges of which snugly fit the grooves 40 formed between the ledges 31 and the uppermost ledges M disposed directly below the lower marginal edges of the partition plates 18 and I9.

It will be observed that the aforesaid seats and ledges are coextensive in length with the side-- walls 20, 2| of the support member 16 and that the arcuate bottom portion and the lower portion of said sidewalls conform closely to the shape of the trough sheet 14 making a compact construction affording the maximum of space for water storage above the underframe. Longitudinal movement of the trough sheet is prevented by the rear end wall l5 and the front cover I! which wall and cover contact the opposite ends of the trough sheet or are disposed closely thereto. The front cover I! extends laterally beyond the trough sheet to form a closure for the open end 42 of the fuel compartment or more specifically of the support member I6. Bolts as at 43 secure the cover to the upstanding front wall 44 of the support member at each side of the trough shaped portion thereof. The frontwall 44 is arranged with the front plates of the tender in any suitable way to form a water tight closure for the water compartment.

By removing the front cover H, the trough sheet I4 may be slidably removed and replaced. No bolts, studs, pins, or welding and the like engage it to hold it in normal position as shown. When worn it can be replaced with a minimum of time and expense. This is an important desideration in the design of equipment for modern rolling stock.

Another feature of my invention is the provision of the depending ribs 45 oppositely disposed on the underside and adjacent the side marginal edges of the slide plates 11. These ribs positioned at the forward end, and also at the rearward end if desired, of each of the slide plates act to sweep the fuel deposited on the trough sheet flanges 34 and 35 in the opening as at 4B therefrom into the trough. Preferably, the ribs are disposed diagonally with respect to the plate in order to direct the fuel into the trough rather than to push it beneath the next slide plate. The use of'such ribs prevents packing of the fuel underneath the slide plates when moved respectively to shift the opening 46.

In Figure 5 of the drawings, a modification of the front cover I! is illustrated wherein a similar cover 50 is formed with integral crusher prongs 5| as well as with an integral spherical ball member 52.

It is believed that various modifications of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the appended claims. For instance, the ledges 31 and 4| may be made sectional instead of in one piece and they may be formed separate from the support member sidewalls and still function as contemplated by my invention.

I claim:

1. In combination in a tender, a fuel compartment comprising a bunker portion and a trough portion beneath'the bunker portion, said bunker portion being formed by partition plates and said trough portion being formed by a casting substantially V-shaped in transverse cross section and arranged with its sidewalls securely fixed to said partition plates, a. removable trough sheet positioned with said casting, and a seat on each longitudinal sidewall of said casting slidably receiving said trough sheet and having means formed therewith for preventing vertical movement of the sheet out of normal position.

2. In combination in a tender, a fuel compartment including spaced oppositely disposed longitudinally extending upstanding sidewalls, the

compartment being open at the forward end of the tender between said sidewalls, each of said sidewalls provided with a longitudinal extending seat, a trough sheet for the compartment slidably received in said seat of the sidewalls and being 5 tudinally extending upstanding sidewalls and a transversely extending rear wall, the compartl5- ment being open at the forward end of the tender between said sidewalls, each of said sidewalls provided with a seat extending longitudinally thereof from the open end of the compartment to the rear wall thereof, a trough sheet for the i0 compartment slidably received in said seat of the sidewalls and being removable through said open end of the compartment, said trough sheet extending from the open end of the compartment to said rear wall, projections on said sidewalls ex- 55 tending inward with respect to the trough sheet overhanging the side marginal edges thereof to prevent vertical movement of the same out of normal position, and a removable cover at the open end of said compartment positioned adjacent the forward end of the trough sheet to prevent longitudinal movement thereof.

4. In combination in a tender, a fuel compartment comprising a fuel bunker and a trough portion disposed below the bunker, sidewalls for said compartment extending longitudinally of the tender, the compartment being open at the forward end of the tender between said sidewalls, each of said sidewalls provided with a longitudinally extending seat, a trough sheet for said 40 trough portion slidably received in said seat of the sidewalls and being removable through said open end of the compartment, projections on said sidewalls extending inwardly with respect to the trough sheet overhanging the side mar- I! ginal edges thereof to prevent vertical movement of the same out of normal position, the upper side of said projections constituting another seat on each sidewall, and slide plates slidably received by said last named seats shiftable to control the B0 passage of fuel from the bunker into the trough sheet.

5. In combination in a tender, 9. fuel compartment comprising a fuel bunker and a trough portion disposed below the bunker, sidewalls for said 65 compartment extending longitudinally of the tender, the compartment being open at the forward end of the tender between said sidewalls, each of said sidewalls provided with a longitudinally extending seat, a trough sheet for said 60 trough portion slidably received in said seat of the sidewalls and being removable through said open end of the compartment, projections on said sidewalls extending inwardly with respect to the trough sheet overhanging the side marginal edges 65 thereof to prevent vertical movement of the same out of normal position, the upper side of said projections constituting another seat on each sidewall, and slide plates slidably received by said last named seats shiftable to control the passage 70 of fuel from the bunker into the trough sheet, and projections on said sidewalls overhanging the side marginal edges of the slide plates preventing vertical movement of the same out of normal position. (6

6. In combination in a tender, a fuel compartment comprising a fuel bunker and a trough portion disposed below the bunker, sidewalls for said compartment extending longitudinally of the tender and a rear wall for said compartment extending transversely of the tender, the compartment being open at the forward end of the tender between said sidewalls, each of said sidewalls provided with a seat extending longitudinally from the open end of the compartment to said rear wall, a trough sheet for said trough portion slidably received in said seat of the sidewalls and being removable through said open end of the compartment, said trough sheet at one end contacting said rear wall and at the other terminating adjacent said open end of the compartment, projections on said sidewalls extending inwardly with respect to the trough sheet overhanging the side marginal edges thereof to prevent vertical movement of the same out of normal position, the upper side of said projections constituting another seat on each sidewall, slide plates slidably received by said last named seat shiftable to control the passage of fuel from the bunker into the trough sheet, and a removable transversely extending cover at the forward end of the compartment extending across and contacting the forward end of said trough sheet preventing longitudinal movement of the same.

7. In combination in a tender, an underframe, fuel and water compartments above said underframe, means separating said compartments including sloping partition walls and a trough supporting member mounted on said underframe and secured to said walls to form a water tight connection, oppositely disposed seats provided on the sidewalls of said supporting member within the fuel compartment, a trough sheet dis posed in said fuel compartment and having flanges slidably engaging side seats, and longitudinally extending inwardly projecting ledges on said sidewalls disposed above said seats overhanging said fianges to prevent vertical movement of said trough sheet out of normal position. a

8. In combination in a tender, an underframe, fuel and water compartments above said underframe, means separating said compartments including oppositely disposed sidewalls, said fuel compartment having an opening between said walls at the forward end portion of the tender, each of said oppositely disposed walls having a longitudinally extending seat within the fuel bunker, and a trough sheet slidably received by said seats, and projections extending inwardly from said walls everhanging the side marginal edge portions of said trough sheet to prevent vertical movement thereof out of normal position.

9. As a new article of manufacture, a slide plate adapted to form a shiftable opening in the floor of a fuel bunker comprising a plate provided on its underside adjacent an end thereof with spaced oppositely disposed ribs positioned at the marginal edges of opposite sides of the plate.

10. As a new article of manufacture, a slide plate adapted to form a shiftable opening in the floor of a fuel bunker comprising a plate provided on its underside adjacent an end thereof with spaced oppositely disposed ribs positioned at the marginal edges of opposite sides of the plate, said ribs being directed substantially diagonally with respect to the plate.

E. ARCHER TURNER. 

